Human muscles are amazing things aren’t they? I remember before I started boot camp at my fitness club I could only do about 15 pushups and I was done for the day. But every day, I did more and more pushups. Within a month, I was doing 3 sets of 40 pushups in one hour. Amazing!
Muscles get weaker when they aren’t being used. But use them and put them to the test and they will grow and strengthen. Over time, it becomes easier and easier to do things that were once impossible.
To work up to forgiving something BIG (maybe impossible?), we need to be regularly exercising our forgiveness muscles.
To work up to forgiving something BIG (maybe impossible?), we need to be regularly exercising our forgiveness muscles.
So, start small. Forgive someone for not opening the door for you. Forgive someone for not smiling at you when you meet them. Forgive your spouse for not picking up the laundry (again!). Forgive someone for not returning your email as fast as you would want. Forgive yourself for forgetting something trivial.
Jesus Christ had something to say about forgiveness:
Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
I think Jesus knew something about this forgiveness muscle concept. Forgive and keep on forgiving, because the more you do it, the easier it gets. Your forgiveness muscles are getting stronger and grace is starting to fill your heart. And one day, forgiving that incredible hurt you NEVER thought you would ever be able to forgive, may be as easy as doing one little pushup…saying “I forgive you”.
About R. Brad White
It almost sounds as if forgiveness would be a good thing to do — like exercising regularly and eating more fiber. But indeed the issue is much bigger than most of us probably realize. God’s Word says that if we don’t forgive others, we ourselves are not forgiven. (Matthew 6:15, 18:33-35, Mark 11:26) There are several other Scriptures that make it clear God is commanding us to forgive. This is not optional by any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps even more sobering is to consider what happens to people who are not forgiven by God. (They’re going to hell.) So it would seem that forgiveness of others is paramount among things to accomplish in this lifetime. Sadly, the wounds and the pain can be so deep that we are not humanly capable of getting to a level of authentic forgiveness. This is when we must learn to call upon — and embrace the supernatural power of Jesus Christ — who lives in all believers.
Forgivness is a great thing if its for real. Unfortunately, most of us do not forgive truthfully. We continue to harbour bad feelings and when the time is right, we strike by bringing up something we supposdedly forgave them for in the past. We like keeping that knife where it will do the most good, in the back. The key to forgivness is to forgive (like it never happened) and mean it! The Lord tells us to forgive like our Father who is in heaven “as far as the West is from the East”, lest your Father will not forgive you.